The Last Third
by InfinityStar
Summary: What happens when Deakins finds out what Waters did to Goren? Companion piece to Love That Hurts the Deepest, part of the Choices AU.


**A/N: blucougar57 asked to see Deakins' reaction to Bobby's beating, so here it is. One of the things I like about this AU is that we don't have to say good-bye to Deakins. I think that's a good thing, because I'm really going to miss him. Enjoy!**

**As always, they aren't mine...except for Maggie. **

* * *

**_Eat a third and drink a third and leave the remaining third of your stomach empty. Then, when you get angry, there will be sufficient room for your rage_.  
_---Babylonian Talmud_**

Jimmy Deakins always looked forward to the weekends. Tonight they were having a barbecue and all three girls would be coming over. Kelly, the oldest, would be bringing her husband, and Robin and Emily would bring their boyfriends. It would be a nice, relaxing evening. He was scrubbing the grill in between throwing the ball for Max, Emily's golden retriever, who somehow ended up staying with them. But that was all right. He was kind of attached to Max, and he liked the fact that the dog was there when he was not. He didn't care much for Angie being home alone.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket when it rang. "Deakins."

_Hey, Cap. This is Logan._

Deakins groaned to himself. _Please don't let him and Goren be in trouble again,_ he thought to himself. "What's wrong?" he asked, hoping he was reading the detective's tone wrong.

_Um, we have a problem._

Deakins groaned. "'We' as in who?" As if he had to ask...

_I was supposed to meet Bobby at his place at two, and he didn't answer the door. It was unlocked and I just figured he left it open for me. Cap, somebody beat the crap out of him and left him on the floor of his apartment._

Deakins set the grill brush on the grill and closed his eyes. These two men were going to be the death of him. "How bad?"

_He looks bad. The paramedics just left and he was still unconscious._

"Do you know what happened?"

_No idea. There was no indication it was a break-in or anything._

"What about Alex? Does she know?"

_I already called her. She'll meet us at St. Vincent's._

"All right, Mike. I'm on my way. Call me if anything changes."

_Will do._

Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he called to Max and went into the house. Angie would have to get the grill going on her own. God bless his wife...

She knew by the look on his face something was wrong. He kissed her cheek. "Something happened with one of my detectives and I have to go to St. Vincent's."

"Oh, no. Which detective?"

He hesitated. Angie really liked Bobby, and he didn't want to worry her, but he couldn't lie to her either. "It was Bobby."

"No..." she gasped. "What happened?"

"We don't know. Logan found him. I'll call you later. Sorry to leave you with the grill and all..."

"Nonsense, Jimmy. Go." She kissed him. "Do what you need to do, and let me know how he is."

He held her in his arms for a moment. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. His mind raced. Who could possibly have done this, and why? A number of possibilities came to mind, based on recent cases he and Eames had worked, but he eventually dismissed each possibility. He was almost to the hospital when the phone rang again. "Deakins."

_It's Logan. Uh, Bobby woke up._

"How is he?"

_They gave him some strong medicine so he's kind of out of it. He woke up in a lot of pain. They just took him back to x-ray._

"Did he tell you what happened?"

_Not really, no. But he did tell me who did it._

Deakins waited, his irritation increasing. "Well?" He heard Logan sigh heavily. He got the impression he didn't want to say. "Logan..." he warned, his temper flaring.

_It was Ricky Waters, Captain._

Deakins could feel his blood begin to boil. "Eames' husband? Tell me you are not serious."

_I wish I wasn't._

"How the hell did Waters get the better of him?"

_He had help._

"Damn. What the hell is going on, Logan? Why would Waters do something like this?"

_I wasn't there, Cap._

"Don't give me that shit, detective. I want to know what's going on!"

Logan hesitated again. _It's all Waters. He has never liked Bobby's friendship with Alex. Why he lashed out like this, I have no idea._

"I want to know what is going on and why, and I am going to find out. You got that, Logan?"

_Yeah. I got it. I'll see you when you get here._

"Is Eames there yet?"

_No, not yet._

"I'll be there shortly."

_I can't wait._

"Logan..."

_Sorry. I'll be waiting._

Deakins put his phone back in his pocket. Sometimes Logan's attitude made things worse. Somebody ought to tell him that once you stir up the beehive, you don't keep poking it with a stick.

He fought to rein in his anger, with marginal success. Why would Eames' husband want to harm her partner, the man whose job it was to watch her back every day? There couldn't possibly be something going on between Goren and Eames. Neither of them would be that stupid. But _something_ was obviously going on and he felt out of the loop, which just made him angrier. Well, he was damn sure going to find out what was going on now...and heads were going to roll. Just _whose_ heads remained to be seen...

He recognized John Eames standing near his daughter and talking to Logan as he approached the cubicle fifteen minutes later. Goren must still be in x-ray. He was surprised by the expression on Eames' face when she looked up at him as he approached. She looked like her world was collapsing around her. He looked from her to Logan. "What the hell is going on?"

"He's in still x-ray," Logan answered.

"Is he awake?"

"He was when he left."

The captain looked at Eames. "Did Mike tell you?" She nodded. "Where is your husband now?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since yesterday."

He looked at Logan. "He's sure it was Waters?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah, he's sure."

"And the other three?"

"Friends of Ricky's."

"And they're cops?"

Logan nodded. "He was sure of that."

"Ok, I am going to handle this. One of you call me as soon as you find out anything more. And let me know how he's doing."

His tone and his expression made it clear he wanted answers and he was going to get them, but first things first. First he had to deal with Waters.

---------------------------------------------

Before he went to his office to deal with the problem of Ricky Waters and what he had done to Goren, he stopped for a sandwich and a cup of coffee. He hadn't eaten anything today, anticipating the upcoming barbecue with his family, and he needed to get something in his system before he did anything else. One thing he'd learned over the years was that his stomach treated him much better if he took care of it before he got too aggravated, and something told him he was in for plenty of aggravation before he had the chance to go home.

Once he got to his office, it took little effort to find out that Waters' captain was Roger Kraszinski, an old friend of his. He placed a call to the man's home and waited for him to come on the line after his son answered. "Roger, this is Jimmy Deakins."

_Hey, Jimmy! It's been too long. How's Angie?_

"Great, thanks. Unfortunately, this isn't a personal call. There's been an incident involving one of your officers and one of my detectives."

Kraszinski groaned. _It's Sunday, for Pete's sake. Which officer?_

"Ricky Waters."

_Isn't his wife one of your detectives?_

"Yes. It was her partner that was involved."

_What happened?_

"All I know is Waters and three of his friends showed up at Goren's place and beat the crap out of him. He's in the ER at St. Vincent's right now."

Kraszinski swore. _What did Goren do?_

"Nothing that I'm aware of but that isn't the issue, Roger. If Waters has a problem with Goren, he needs to come to me. Whatever he did, if anything, is irrelevant. Waters is in the wrong here. He assaulted a fellow officer and then abandoned him."

Kraszinski hesitated. _Jimmy, you know the things they say about Goren..._

"I do. But those are just rumors. Come on, Roger. I know my detective. He's not a violent man. He cares very much about his partner and he wouldn't do anything that might cause her any grief. Goren's not the bad guy here. Waters invaded his home and hurt him badly enough to put him in the hospital."

He heard his friend's frustrated sigh. He'd made his point; he knew he was right. _Okay, okay. I'll have him picked up and held until we get to the botton of this. I...Hold on a sec._

Deakins listened to dead air for a few minutes before Kraszinski came back on the line. _What is it with your detectives, Jimmy?_

"What happened?"

_Waters was just arrested...by his wife._

Well, Eames hadn't wasted any time. There was that bond of protection between those two partners...no one messed with either without the other reacting strongly to it. He pulled a bottle of ibuprofen from his desk and swallowed several. "I guess that will save your squad the trouble."

_I know Waters is a hot head, but I can't imagine why he would do such a thing. You're sure it was him?_

"Yes. Goren would never make this up."

_I'll talk to his buddies and see what I can find out on this end. Thanks for the call, Jimmy._

"Tell Claire I said hello. I'll be in touch."

Deakins hung up the phone and shook his head. What was he missing here? Eames' husband beats up her partner and she arrests him herself...why would she choose her partner over her husband? These detectives were going to be the death of him. Vaguely, he wondered if, maybe, some of the rumors weren't true...if maybe Goren and Eames actually were...but no...he pushed the thought from his mind. They wouldn't. Would they? God...if something they did led to this, and he had to take action and split them up...then he was _really_ going to be pissed. He had no doubt Goren would survive as Logan's partner, but _he_ would not survive that partnership.

Lifting the receiver, he dialed, unable to keep a lump the size of Rhode Island from forming in his gut. She answered on the third ring. _Eames_.

"Where are you?"

_With Logan, on the way back to the hospital from my house._

"He went with you?"

_No. He came after me._

"You arrested your husband..."

_Is there a problem with that?_

He rubbed his forehead. The only thing worse than a defensive Eames was an angry and defensive Eames. "What is going on? Why did Waters do this?"

_It was his insane jealousy. He has always been jealous of my friendship and my partnership with Bobby._

"Does he have any reason to be jealous?"

_No, he doesn't. Captain, this is unforgiveable. Bobby did nothing to deserve this._

Deakins sighed heavily. "Look, Alex, you know I don't get involved in the personal lives of my detectives, as long as your jobs get done. You know I have no problem with you and Goren. But if something is going on between you, something that led to this, I need to know."

_I am_ not _having an affair with my partner, Captain._

More defensiveness. "So far, I see no reason to take any action against either of you. Besides, partnering Goren with Logan would be suicide for me and I don't know anyone else who will work with him."

She sounded annoyed when she repeated, _There is nothing going on. Bobby is my best friend and my partner. He's not my lover, but Ricky would never believe me. He chose to believe the unsubstantiated rumors that started when I didn't leave after the first six months. It's bullshit, Captain._

That was all he needed to know. If anything else had happened, anything that was not ongoing, he didn't want to hear it. "Let me talk to Logan."

The next voice he heard was Logan's. _Hello._

"What do you know about this?"

_She's telling the truth._

"As far as you know..."

_I know Goren. There's no affair going on, I can promise you that. That would be something that would eat at him, Captain. It's something he'd never be able to do, not even with her. Waters is out of his friggin' mind._

Deakins sighed heavily. There was no reason for him to doubt Logan. Over the past few years, no one had been closer to Goren, not even Eames. After she got married, Goren had retreated from her, and he had hated to see that. But he was glad that Logan had stepped in, and that Goren had let him. "How is he doing?"

Logan cleared his throat. _Well, when Eames took off out of there like a bat out of hell to go after Waters, Goren went nuts. We had to restrain him and they had to put him out before I could go after her. So he wasn't doing so great when I left him. But Alex's dad is there with him, and we'll be back there in another fifteen minutes or so._

"And you're sure about their relationship?"

_I'm sure. There's nothing ongoing happening outside of their friendship._

"Are they admitting him?"

_That's what they told me._

"How did you know where Eames went?"

_Lucky guess. I just started where I figured she would, at her house._

"Good thinking. All right. I'll stop by tomorrow to talk to him. I don't want any more calls, Logan, except one from you when you get back to the hospital to tell me how he's doing."

_Okay, I'll call you in the next hour._

"Fine. I'm going home."

He hung up the phone and got up from his desk. He should make it home in time to put the burgers on.

--------------------------------------------

The next day, Deakins took an early lunch and went over to the hospital to visit his injured detective. Goren was awake when he arrived. "How are you doing, Bobby?"

"I'm okay."

"Have they said how long you'll have to stay?"

"They'll let me out tomorrow."

Nodding, the captain walked over to the window and looked out. "I'm trying to make sense of this. Waters knew you before he married your partner, didn't he?"

"Not well, but yes. I'd met him a few times."

"He knew you were close friends, didn't he?"

"Yes. Eames never lied to him."

"So what changed?"

"Nothing did."

Turning to look at Goren, it occurred to him that he had been seeing bruises on his face on and off for a while now...bruises Goren had just shrugged off when he'd asked about them. The pieces were beginning to fall into place. He tried to pinpoint the time when it all began, but he couldn't. "Has Waters ever assaulted you before?"

"I wouldn't call it that, exactly."

"Oh? What would you call it?"

"He's started a couple of fights, but nothing ever came of them."

"A black eye or a busted lip here and there? How did you explain those to your partner?"

Goren had the sense to look guilty. "Mike and I play ball a lot, and we can get rough. Eames has seen us play, and I always told her it was from playing ball with Mike."

"And Logan?"

"He went along with me. He was usually there when I ran into Waters, and he understood why I did what I did."

"Well, I don't, so explain it to me."

"His problem was always with me. I figured that if he was able to strike out at me directly, he would leave Eames alone."

"And that's why you never reported it?"

"There was nothing to report. I never started it, but I never just stood there and took it, either. And I didn't want Mike to get into trouble. He has enough problems."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Uh, since the baby was born."

Deakins leaned back against the windowsill and crossed his arms. "So why did it escalate now?"

Goren shifted uncomfortably. "We went out Saturday night, the four of us. He had us followed. We all ended up at my place, but Logan and Barek went home. Eames stayed. It's not a big deal; she's done it plenty of times in the past. I don't know why this time was any different. You'll have to ask Waters."

Deakins sighed. He had to corroborate what Eames and Logan had told him. "I want an honest answer from you, Bobby. Are you sleeping with your partner?"

That was always a question he never wanted to ask because he felt he was better off not knowing. But now...now he had to know. Goren was quiet, but he didn't avoid the answer. "No, Captain. I'm not."

Deakins searched his face. Goren loved his partner, of that he had no doubt. He didn't miss the pain that the man could not keep hidden when he answered that question. Neither partner had been happy for a while now, and that troubled the captain. But there was nothing he could do about it. "You heard she arrested him?"

Goren nodded. "I-I wish she hadn't."

"No one tells Alex what to do," Deakins said fondly. Goren chuckled and winced. The captain went on, "Logan told me what happened when she took off."

Goren looked toward the floor. "I didn't want him to hurt her."

"Do you think you could have stopped her?"

"I could have, but they wouldn't let me."

"They did the right thing, Bobby. She thought she was doing the right thing, too."

"He could have hurt her."

"Alex can handle herself."

"I know. And so can I. I...I don't need her to fight my battles."

"Yet you've been fighting hers for what? Almost three years now?"

"No, I haven't. It hasn't been her battle. That was between Waters and me."

"So it wouldn't be between Waters and Alex. You've been protecting her."

"Don't tell her that." He almost smiled. Then he leaned toward Deakins. "But if he had turned that anger toward her, what would have stopped him from taking it a step further and hurting the baby? He already resents her." Deakins heard the rumors that had begun circulating about the building concerning him. Most of them he ignored. But the one he heard most consistently was about his devotion to his partner's daughter. That was more than rumor...that he had seen with his own eyes, and he knew it to be true. Goren's voice was intense. "She never leaves him alone with her. Captain, that baby spends more time at my apartment than she does at home."

"Are you complaining, Bobby?"

"No," he said softly. The look in his eyes touched Deakins' heart. "I-I hate...seeing her leave."

"Alex stays when Maggie does?"

"No. She goes home. It's just Maggie and me. I take her to her grandfather's in the morning, and when Eames wants me to take care of her, she brings her over. I-I really don't spend a lot of off-duty time with Eames. I don't want to cause her any more trouble. But I spend a lot of time with the baby."

Deakins wasn't surprised. He had seen Goren with Maggie, and the baby adored him. He sighed heavily, getting back to the reason for his visit. "Bobby, it's not my place to interfere with your personal life. You and Eames work well together and I am not inclined to team you with another partner, particularly since my only other option seems to be Mike Logan. But I have to know if anything precipitated this attack."

Goren shook his head. "Just his own jealous delusions. Eames is married. That makes her off-limits to everyone but her husband."

"Even to you?"

"Especially to me. I-I can't make her happy, but I didn't force her to marry him. She needs to find her own way to happiness."

"And what about you, Bobby?"

He slowly shook his head. "Things are as good as they're going to get for me. I deal with it."

Deakins didn't doubt him. Something told him that the path for Eames would take her away from Ricky Waters and toward her partner, if he would have her after all she had put him through, unintentional though it was. But something else told him that Goren would never turn her away. Happiness for both would come from each other; all they had to do was figure that out.

He stepped away from the window. "I have to get back to the squad room. I'm giving Carver the go ahead to charge Waters with aggravated assault and attempted murder."

"Attempted murder? Captain..."

"Not a word, Goren. Carver has a case and it's a done deal. You have no say in it. Get your rest. I'll talk to you soon."

With a groan, Goren leaned his head back on the pillow. Deakins understood him. The man would do anything to avoid causing his partner any upset. He turned in the doorway. "Believe me, charging him will be much less upsetting for Eames than letting him go. She doesn't want to hurt you any more than you want to hurt her."

Goren just nodded tightly and turned away. Deakins left the room and headed for his car. He stopped to grab a sandwich at a deli on the way back from the hospital. He was glad Goren was going to be all right. Now he wondered what Eames was going to do, and if it would all work out all right for the both of them.


End file.
